Jacobs urges motorists to upgrade to enhanced license

•Taken from the Aug. 14 Island Dispatch

Sat, Aug 15th 2015 09:30 am

Over the next few years, most Erie County drivers will need to renew their
New York state driver's licenses. Erie County Clerk Chris Jacobs is urging
drivers to consider upgrading to an enhanced driver's license at renewal time
because, as soon as 2016, a federal law called the REAL ID Act will prohibit
the use of a regular New York driver's license for domestic air travel.

According to the county clerk's office, the Homeland Security website
already lists New York state as "non-compliant" with the REAL ID Act. However,
the state enhanced driver's license has been designated by the secretary of
Homeland Security as acceptable for official federal purposes such as boarding
a commercial aircraft.

"If you take the opportunity to upgrade to an enhanced driver's license
when your regular license is up for renewal, it will ensure that you can use
your license for domestic travel in the future," Jacobs said. The New York EDL
is also valid identification that can be used instead of a passport to travel
by land or sea to and from Canada, Mexico and some countries in the Caribbean
while a regular driver's license is not accepted.

"My concern is many motorists are going to renew their regular driver's
license and as soon as a year from now, they will have to come back into our
office, pay again, to upgrade to an enhanced license so they can travel by air.
The state is doing a poor job of informing motorists about this and it may cost
our citizens extra money paying license fees twice," Jacobs said.